Doing philosophy with children

Doing philosophy with children is a great way to improve their verbal skills. They learn to listen carefully to other students, to formulate their own opinions in a clear manner, and even to defend their opinions against objections from their peers. Doing philosophy builds a real sense of community in the classroom and, at the same time, it aids in the individual intellectual development of students.

Philosophy for Children
Philosophy for children began in America in the 1960's and was developed from the ideas and writings of Matthew Lipman.
In Philosophy for Children students begin by reading specially written texts in the form of stories. These stories are about fictional children who discover how to reason more effectively. Afterwards children in the classroom then discuss the issues raised. The following debate encourages children to begin to think more effectively and become more reflective.

Creating a New Balance
It is important that philosophy, thinking skills and other forms of creative education are not taught at the expense of literacy and numeracy but rather as complementary skills.  
It is important to strike a balance between teaching children the basic skills in reading, writing and maths and giving them the opportunities to be creative and explore their own ideas and capabilities
Philosophy provides an arena for discussion, for asking questions and for seeking possible answers. It gives children the time and opportunity to think, talk and be really listened to. It demonstrates the difference between a disagreement and a personal attack.
Philosophy teaches children to respect the ideas and opinions of others and to listen and build on those ideas, to be collaborative and to stand up for what they believe in.